January 2015 -
McCullough's writing slays me because it's so smart. I feel smarter after devouring one of her novels. She researches EVERYTHING so every word and description feels spot on.

I always fall deeply into McCullough's books. Her writing style is so accessible, that even when the story is mired in history, geography, Latin, unfamiliar words, hard to remember names...I still live it as I read!

I love the story of A&C and have read many versions. The uber-romantic ones appealed to me when I was younger (of course), but now that I have "matured" McCullough's version seems so much more realistic. Antony was a boor. By all accounts, he was handsome, charming, and strong, but at the same time, he was a womanizer, drank to excess, and suffered feelings of inadequacy. These are the same faults that kept Gaius Julius Caesar from naming him his successor. This was a blow from which Antony never recovered.

Cleopatra, except in the most romantic versions of her life, was not a great beauty. Her appeal lay in her intelligence, reality, and speaking voice. There is no doubt she was an effective ruler. Caesar helped her develop her leadership skills after securing her throne. I find it believable that they shared a true love. Yes, the relationship was mutually beneficial, but only love would account for the longevity of their time as a couple. Antony arrives on the scene when she is already firmly ensconced in her reign. Caesar not only paves the way for Cleopatra's life but, in essence, paved the way to her for Antony.

Cleopatra's wealth was a great way for Antony to further his campaign. He didn't seek her out for an affair of the heart. She was a woman. He liked women. She needed a "godlike" man to father her children. They were infinitely useful to one another. I'm sure they developed real feelings, especially as their children were born, but theirs was a relationship of convenience. Out of sight, out of mind, seemed to be their approach to separations. It was perfectly acceptable and utterly realistic.

As she always does, McCullough brought Egypt and Rome to life for me. Each place Antony or Octavian visited felt very tangible, real, right here, right now, not centuries past. Politics are always the most intriguing aspects of any book on ancient civilization. Here, although the title is Antony and Cleopatra, we learn as much about Octavian's politics and motivations as theirs. No author will make me hate him less, but McC lets me understand him at least.

It's hard to read the end of any story about these doomed lovers, but here it's told in a tasteful, understandable way. We expect it, yes, but we can also understand it. Not just for the cruel deaths they suffer, but for the political maneuvering that made their deaths inevitable and unavoidable.

The final saga of Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series is Antony and Cleopatra. The story chronicles the time period of 41 BC to 27 BC in
Rome and Egypt. Julius Caesar has died leaving Cleopatra and his son Caesarian to ruling Egypt and Octavian and Antony are fighting for the Roman throne. Cleopatra also has designs on the throne for her son, Julius' heir. Love, sex, conspiracy and war.

I was excited to read this book before I realized it was the last of a series, and one I had not read. I thought it did well, standing on its own, but now I would like to read the whole series. I think it would have helped keep my interest at the beginning more, but ultimately I was sucked into the story. I didn't get that Antony and Cleopatra was such a great love story, as I had always thought the case. They used each other and by the time they realized they really loved each other, they did themselves in. It's just a reminder that in life it's better to make love not war.

Great ending to a great series. Showing the fight between Octavian and Antonius and
especially the rise of Augustus very well is the meat of the book. However, sometimes the characters become a bit to perfect, which i found to take me out for the book. Still, it is a great book and one I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in the "roman republic".

B-O-R-I-N-G!
This is not the right word to describe the first 85 pages of this 553 page book. WOW! I have been able to plod through boring book with good information but, this one takes the cake.
Not worth the time or effort!

It was perfect for my taste. I love this book and în the end it brought me to tears.
I loved how the story was presented and the author's attempt to figure out what was really going on behind the curtains. The characters were fine, but I have some little objections, which I shall not discuss about, cuz this comment would get a lot longer. Some would say that there is too much historical information and they could not follow up the story line, but for me , a history nerd , it worked.

And done. What a series! What a ride! Entertaining and educational in equal measure, the depth of scholarship it took to write these seven, massive, books frankly boggles the mind. A quite astonishing piece of work and one that I will revisit again and again in years to come. An incredible achievement.

Now what?

Edit to answer: Les Miserables!

The end of a magnificent series

I hated to come to the end of this series of historical novels on Rome from about 110-29 BC. McCulloch writes so well. Everything is so vivid and believable. It’s so well researched.

I have now read Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series for the second time in my life. I loved it the first time around, and really savored it on the re-read. This 7th volume, Antony and Cleopatra, deals with the title characters of course, but even more so with Octavian. The series as a whole is centered around Julius Caesar... the beginning volumes lay down the immediate Roman and family history (Gaius Marius, Sulla) which shaped the conditions for Caesar's advent. This last volume seals the story and illustrates how Octavian (Augustus) was able to consolidate power, and complete the transformation of Rome from republic to empire.
McCullough of course is very biased toward Caesar. She deifies him in her stories long before he is cast as Divus Julius. This is fine with me (he is an extremely likable historical figure), but one must keep in mind that he was the quintessential populist. Yes, he was capable; yes, he was honorable. But he did move Rome from its Republican setting to something else (and perhaps that was inevitable). But one cannot dwell upon this history, draped in the superb fiction of McCullough, without drawing parallels to our own current world. Populism is a cathartic force in America presently... I'll stop short of drawing personal parallels, but we have to ask: are we moving from our traditional form of government and exchanging our mos maiorum for something else?

[Loved the series and the book!]

E' lungo, ci sono un sacco di nomi che a volte si confondono, ma merita. Merita davvero.
Bellissimo!